I'm live-streaming Pokémon science popularization on New World.

The day after Lin Dao arrived in the new world, on the outskirts of Rongcheng.

Afternoon sunlight filters through layers of leaves, casting dappled shadows on the overgrown path.

A slightly chubby young man with dyed blond hair carried a bulging backpack. He held a baton in his left hand and a mobile phone in his right. His eyes scanned the dense jungle around him warily, but his attention was more focused on the scrolling comments on the phone screen.

His name is Li Hao, a former apprentice at a car repair shop, now an outdoor adventure streamer, at least that's what his live stream titles say.

"Family members, do you see this? This is the highway entrance three months ago, and now it's completely swallowed up by plants."

Li Hao deliberately lowered his voice and pointed the camera forward.

The once wide highway was now covered by vines and unknown shrubs, with wild grass sprouting from the cracks, and road signs crooked and covered with moss.

Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows and giving the entire road a desolate, post-apocalyptic feel.

The comments scrolled rapidly:

"Streamer, streamer, are you trying to get yourself killed? I've seen a lot of streamers come back covered in injuries after going out."

"Didn't the government issue a warning? Don't leave the city unless absolutely necessary. Are you risking your life for internet traffic?!"

"The gifts are flowing in, streamer, go inside a bit more!"

"I've reported it; it's just adding to the rescue team's workload."

As Li Hao watched the number of viewers in the live stream rapidly climb from a few hundred to five thousand, a smile involuntarily crept onto his face.

He was secretly pleased, thinking he had successfully capitalized on this trend.

Just as he predicted, three months after the "monsters descended" on Earth, the world outside the city has become the biggest mystery and the most exciting source of traffic.

Three months ago, it all started without warning.

First came sporadic reports of strange creatures appearing in various places, which people initially thought were pranks or newly discovered species.

But soon, these creatures displayed abilities beyond common sense: small dinosaurs that could breathe fire, floating metal balls that could release electricity, blue turtles that could control water flow... They seemed to have spread all over the world overnight, and the growth rate of plants around the world accelerated.

Following the initial panic, some countries attempted to use force to eradicate these "invasive species," but the attempts ended in disastrous failure.

Humanity's prized firearms appear clumsy and inefficient in the face of these creatures' supernatural abilities.

What's puzzling is that these creatures seem to have little interest in the infrastructure of human society, preferring to inhabit forests, mountains, and wilderness outside of cities.

As a result, humanity retreated to cities and established new defense systems.

Intercity transportation was almost completely cut off, and the area outside the city became unknown territory.

The plight of the wilderness, like a poisonous vine, haunts everyone's mind, giving rise to the distorted yet booming industry of "adventure live streaming."

Li Hao is not the first, nor will he be the last.

He desperately needed the money; his mother's medication for her chronic illness was running out, and under the city's rationing system, additional medical resources required a large number of contribution points or cash.

"I'm not afraid at all! I'm a disciple of Mad Dog Fist, and I've studied no-holds-barred fighting!"

Li Hao forced an exaggerated smile at the camera, "New family members, please follow me! If I get over 10,000 followers, I'll walk 100 meters forward!"

He looked down at the screen, where comments were scrolling rapidly:

"Stop bragging, streamer! Look behind you!"

Something's moving!

"The bushes! The bushes on the right!"

Li Hao's heart tightened, and he looked up abruptly, but it was too late.

About ten meters away, the bushes shook violently, and a strange creature emerged.

It resembles a badger in size, but has ring-shaped markings like a raccoon. The serrated hairs on its brown fur stand up, and its small eyes gleam with a piercing gaze.

The most terrifying thing is its mouth, with sharp fangs exposed at the corners of its open mouth, dripping with saliva.

"Mad Badger!" The word flashed through Li Hao's mind.

This is one of the few officially announced names of creatures found outside the city. Reports indicate that they are extremely aggressive and have already caused serious injuries to at least seven people who violated the rules by leaving the city.

Li Hao's mind went blank, and his blood seemed to freeze.

He realized that his boastful "Mad Dog Fist" was actually just the result of watching a few online tutorial videos.

I thought of the baton in my backpack, a cheap one I bought from a hardware store, which couldn't even bend a steel pipe. I thought of my mother's cries and my father's silent smoking before I left home.

He wanted to run, but his legs felt like lead; he wanted to raise his baton, but his arms wouldn't obey him.

The mad badger lowered its front body and tensed its hind leg muscles.

The comments section was scrolling wildly:

"It's all over!"

"Another one courting death."

"Another idiot causing trouble for the police."

"What's the emergency number again?"

"Someone nearby, please help him!"

Li Hao closed his eyes, awaiting the excruciating pain of the impact.

But the pain did not come.

A gust of wind came from the side, and Li Hao felt someone suddenly pounce on him. The two of them rolled to the side of the road together.

Immediately afterwards, his backpack was quickly untied and thrown far away.

"Bang!"

The mad badger crashed headfirst into empty space, the momentum causing it to roll twice.

It shook its head, quickly got up, its nostrils flared, and soon locked onto the backpack that smelled of food. It immediately pounced on it and started tearing at it, completely forgetting its original target.

"Fortunately, I know the habits of basilisk bears and how persistent they are when it comes to food."

A voice rang out. Li Hao looked up, still shaken.

Li Hao opened his eyes and saw a young man, dressed in tattered clothes and looking like a wild man, squatting beside him, staring sharply at the brown creature that was tearing at his backpack.

Although the man's face was covered in mud, his features were still clear, his eyes were bright, and he wore a peculiar wedge-shaped pendant around his neck, with a sapphire in the center that reflected the sunlight slightly.

"Thank goodness, I made it in time," the man murmured to himself, his voice soft but clear.

"I wonder how strong the humans are in this world. Although the serpent bear didn't use any special moves, its power should be enough to injure someone like me from before."

He didn't look at Li Hao while speaking; instead, he focused intently on observing the creature.

Now Li Hao could see clearly that the creature was rummaging through its backpack for food. After pulling out a bag of compressed biscuits, it glanced at them warily, then found a spot on a nearby tree to eat its spoils.

"Is...is everything alright?" Li Hao stammered, struggling to sit up.

He checked himself over and found that, apart from a few scratches, he was miraculously unharmed.

The man then turned his head, his gaze falling on the phone in Li Hao's hand. The comments on the screen were still scrolling wildly:

"What just happened?"

"A scene of a hero rescuing a damsel in distress (?)!"

"Host, quickly ask who that young man is!"

"Why are his clothes so tattered? Is he a savage?"

"Host, quickly ask him who he is!"

"Huh, is this a live stream?" The man leaned closer, staring at the Chinese characters on the screen, his eyes widening slightly. "The characters... are the Chinese I know."

He visibly relaxed, the tension in his shoulders lessening somewhat.

"Yes," Li Hao replied quickly, while also sizing up the other person.

Upon closer inspection, although the man was dressed in tattered clothes, his face was very clean, his skin was fair and tender, and his eyes showed both wariness and a hint of curiosity.

"Thank you so much for saving me. If it weren't for you, I might already be..."

The man waved his hand, interrupting his thanks: "For the sake of saving my life just now, could you give me a set of clothes?"

He pointed to the backpack in the distance, which had been ransacked by the mad badger, with several pieces of clothing scattered on the ground.

"Of course! Of course, no problem!" Li Hao nodded quickly.

"You can take it all. What's wrong with you? Do you need my help?"

The man did not answer immediately, but walked to the backpack and deftly picked out a set of relatively complete outdoor gear: a dark green windbreaker and a pair of quick-drying pants.

He walked behind a large, thick tree and quickly changed his clothes.

When he came out again, his whole demeanor had changed. Although his hair was still messy, the well-fitting outdoor clothes made him look less like a wild man and more like a kind older brother.

"One set of clothes is enough," the man said. "I don't need any other help, but could you lend me your phone? I want to look something up."

Li Hao hesitated for a moment. His cell phone was now his most precious possession, but the person in front of him had just saved his life.

"Of course." He nodded through gritted teeth, ignoring the frantic comments in the live stream begging him not to turn off the broadcast. "I'll turn off the stream first."

The moment the screen went dark, Li Hao handed over the phone.

The man took the phone and skillfully swiped the screen.

He first carefully checked the phone's basic functions to confirm that it wasn't too different from his own world, then opened the browser and quickly typed in keywords.

Li Hao secretly observed him.

Although the man was dressed in rags, he moved with composure and focused his eyes, showing no signs of being a wretched survivor in the wild.

Why is he alone in the wilderness? Why is he so familiar with his phone yet seems so unfamiliar with the world?